A food scientist is responsible for cross-checking the quality of nutrients in the food. They utilize the education from chemistry and microbiology to enhance the nutrient content of food. They also try to discover new ingredients as well as the method to keep food hygienic. Let us know more detail about ‘Salaries Of Food Scientists’.
Salaries Of Food Scientists
The average salary for a food scientist is estimated to be around $138,000. The salary can go as high up to $206K and can be as low as $61K. The statistics have shown that 75% of the people lie in the category of those earning less than the average salary while 25% lie in those earning more than the average salary. Several factors influence the salary of a food scientist.
Salaries of food Scientists:
When considering the salary of food scientists, they can be classified mainly according to their experience and their education.
According to experience:
- A food scientist having an experience of a maximum of two years can earn up to $70K on average.
- Those having an experience of 2-5 years have an average salary of $97K.
- Food scientists having an experience of 5-10 years can earn up to $139K annually.
- Those who have served quite a time in the industry summing around 10-15 years can have an annual pay of $169K.
- A food scientist with an experience of 15-20 years can expect a salary of $179K per year.
- Lastly, those who have served more than 20 years in this food industry can earn up to $195K or more.
- According to Education:
- Bachelors:
Employees who have done only a bachelor’s in the field related to food science can annually make more than $90K.
Masters:
The employees having an education level up to a Master’s degree can make $140K annually.
Ph.D.:
Lastly, those candidates who have completed their Ph.D. in the related field have a chance of earning up to $186K.
Comparison of salary of food scientists according to gender:
It has been observed that males earn 6% more than females as food scientists. The annual pay for women as food scientists is around $127K whereas men earn up to $134K annually.
Food scientists at different companies:
The top brands where food scientists are in high demand are Pepsi, Unilever, and a few more. The salaries offered to these employees are also quite impressive. At Conagra Brands, the annual pay of a food scientist is somewhere around $78K. Then at Cargill, a food scientist is paid annually an amount of $76K. Other than these two Kerry is a company where food scientists enjoy good pay which is estimated to be more than $74K.
Food Scientists in different industries:
The industry where food scientists enjoy the highest salary is Education. The annual estimated salary is more than $92K. Other industries that pay highly to food scientists are Finance and manufacturing. The annual pay in the finance industry is $84K whereas in the manufacturing industry it is above $75K. Industries like healthcare and retail also pay their food scientists a good amount of $74K and $67K respectively.
Food Science Technologist:
Food science technologist also lies within the category of food scientists. The annual pay of a food scientist technologist on average is $78K. The salary usually lies within the range of $45K and $130K. Those having higher experience and education usually earn above the average salary while those having less experience earn a little less than the average salary.
Trends in the salary of food scientists:
- There has been a constant rise in the salary of food scientists over the years. In 2018, the average salary of food scientists was $59K. And by the year 2021, the average salary has increased to more than $64K.
- It has also been estimated that the salary of food scientists will see an increment of 12% every 6 months.
Bonuses for food scientists:
According to a survey conducted among the employees working as food scientists regarding the bonuses, the following results were obtained:
- 40% of the employees claimed for getting no bonus while the other 60% mentioned that they did receive a bonus once.
- The bonus offered to the employees was between 2% to 7% of their average salary.
Factors improving the salary of food scientists:
- A vast insight into food science and implementation in a practical field is highly important.
- The employee should know to identify and solve a problem on their basis without anyone’s help.
- Business and analytical skills.
- Food scientists need to pay attention to small details so that they can figure out if the food is of bad quality or not.
- Communication skills are another set of skills without which food scientists can go ahead. There is often a need of addressing the workers regarding the nutrients or at times to investigate nutrients so communication skills are important.
- Team working skills are necessary when food scientists are working to find new ways and technologies to preserve food.
Conclusion:
Now we’ve learnt about ‘Salaries Of Food Scientists’, Food scientists are quite important to ensure the safety and quality of foods being consumed by the people. With the increase in different types of foods and interest, the demand for food scientists is increasing and will further enhance in upcoming years. The salary enjoyed by food scientists may seem low as compared to a few professions but is comparatively considered fair enough. The increase in experience and education can also lead to an increase in the annual pay of a food scientist.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Which state pays the highest salary to food scientists?
Although many states are offering a fair amount to food scientists. Hawaii pays the highest salary to food scientists which is $87K annually.
- At present, which companies are most active in hiring food scientists?
The top 5 companies where food scientists are highly in demand are PepsiCo, Cargill, General Mills, Abbott, and Optimum Nutrition.
- What are a few other jobs related to food science which have a high salary?
There are some other positions as well which lie in the same field as a food scientist and have a good sum of salary. These are Research chemists, Quality control chemists and development scientists.
